Explorations

The Sofa Story

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Is circularity feasible in the era of overproduction?


The sofa story is a personal anecdote we share. As a matter of fact, overproduction is devastating our planet. Since a large part of communication is about repair and reuse, we try to understand if circularity is feasible in the era of overproduction.

A couple of months ago we ordered a new sofa. When it was ready to be delivered, we called the seller to inform them we wanted to restore the old one and bring it somewhere else. They said they would take the measurements and let us know the cost.

The sofa: understanding quality


When they came to deliver the new sofa, we noticed some differences. The new one was much lighter. The old one was heavy. While the new one had no structure, the old one had a stable, solid body. Furthermore, the old one had a soft hand 100% cotton cover. For new sofa coverings, you mainly find polyester because cotton would be too expensive, so they say. In fact, the old one was a great quality sofa, which lasted about 25 years. We are doubtful the new one will last so long.

However, having the chance to check the internal structure quality, we confirmed the boy to bring it to their workshop and let us know the repair/restoration cost.

Repairing vs buying a new one


Here comes the fun! When they tried to carry the old sofa downstairs to the ground floor, they realised it was too heavy. So they started disassembling it, but the boy in charge, all of a sudden, destroyed the sofa underneath his feet. “Yes, it was good quality but you better buy another new one. The repair cost would be too high.”

Obviously, he exclaimed that for two reasons:
First, he preferred to avoid the effort of carrying the heavy weight downstairs.
Second, he couldn’t understand, for real, the quality of what he had destroyed.

So, “buy a new one” is the easy solution in a consumerist society. But when sellers tell you there’s no difference in terms of quality from one item to the other, it’s not true.

It’s like you show us an archive Saint Laurent garment or a couture dress from your wardrobe, and we tell you to get rid of that and buy a new item. “You know, it’s cheaper than repairing the old one!”

That is a complete lack of understanding. Indeed, the sofa story represents the contemporary way of handling commerce and fostering a consumerist lifestyle. Also, whatever the category – fashion, furniture, technology, automobile – the trick doesn’t change. Industries do not stop their overproduction patterns, so repairing won’t work on a large scale, which we need in order to reduce our impact on the planet.

In the end, if those who sell products cannot distinguish quality, materials, and finishings, how can they even mention the option of repairing?

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Disappointment With The Fashion Industry

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Out of the crowd & why


Any disappointment with the fashion industry? Can fashion be a source of frustration? For us, it can be. And we would love to hear your viewpoint on this matter.

Fashion mavericks don’t need to wear, read or do what all the others do. We are independent thinkers who are not afraid to challenge the status quo. Fashion, as the research of niche brands and designers, is still the exciting side of our job. Unknown or less popular brands, most of the time, offer creativity and real quality designs like no others. That is what we select for you. Also, we love mixing garments to create unique outfits.

Mainstream fashion: lowering the bar


But fashion, as the mainstream industry wants it to be, so as it is right now, isn’t exciting. In most fashion brands, there’s a total lack of elegance and style. No creativity, no good design, just marketing. Do you agree with us? Also, there’s no consistency towards the hypothetical sustainable claims. Fundamentally, there is no understanding of how serious the climate emergency is. In fact, the fashion industry is not open to evolution, which is now necessary and much talked about but ignored. However bad the situation is, it is only going to get worse.

As we see it, fashion is a language. Specifically, it’s a reflection of who we are. Indeed, it is a lens through which we can analyse society. So, looking through this lens, what kind of society do we see? 
If you go walking in big towns, most clothing shops and new openings are fast fashion brands. And if you scroll through social media, fast fashion brands have saturated the market. While on holiday, we’ve been to different places: the most present brands were fast to ultra-fast fashion. 

That is what people want. And the fashion industry makes what people want. It seems there’s no escape. But this trend of lowering the bar and erasing any sense of quality is frustrating.

Unique style for unique people


For people like us who love reading, don’t like advertising, and don’t even much like social media’s doped content, the disappointment with this fashion industry is quite profound. We’d buy nothing rather than take the most popular pointless stuff. 

The fashion industry holds so much power in manipulating people. On the other hand, people can access information in order to educate themselves but don’t do it. They follow influencers because they cannot make independent decisions. 

However, as fashion mavericks, we won’t stop making choices out of the crowd. That means stop trusting the fashion industry and follow our own path, creating unique styles for unique people.

What are your thoughts on fashion?

WhatsApp us directly from here or comment below!

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Venice Film Festival

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Characters in search of an author


It seems the Venice Film Festival has become more of a destination for fashion influencers and aspiring socialites rather than a place for actors and true movie experts.

While the films themselves are still relevant, it is clear that the fluff associated with the festival has taken centre stage, attracting many characters in search of an author.
Who are they? People whose purpose is to get attention, pray to get some shots, which promptly pass through some filters. Then they share on social media. So, they accomplish their intent: show the world how beautiful and fantastic they are.
Who knows what words Pirandello would have found to depict them?

Current trends at Venice Film Festival


However, some call it fashion, as the image and outfits represent modern trends. But the sense of style you can read through their clothes as their behaviour is very questionable.
Clothes do not wrap with elegance and style but uncover begging attention. Puffy and smooth faces, which get bigger and bigger, all looking the same, tell more stories of plastic surgery than movie plots. Faces have never been so scary. By the way, there was a reason why Jane Birkin was an icon, but no one reflects on why.

As a side effect of social media, people with immense egos multiplied. Indeed, these characters in search of an author are trending in all the events, wherever they can get a platform to show themselves to the world.
In fact, because of social media, celebrity culture has shifted the focus away from the artistry of filmmaking and actors to empty personalities having nothing to do with it. But that, on a larger perspective, is happening in every field.

Wouldn’t it be nice to shift the focus back to movies at the Venice Film Festival? A sense of elegance and dreamy atmosphere, actors and people contributing to the industry, just accomplishing the purpose of celebrating cinema in all its forms. Not the fluff.

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Delicate Erosion: Meagratia SS24 Collection

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Inspiration from Rakuten Fashion Week


In search of inspiration for the SS24 season, from the Rakuten Fashion Week, which just took place in Tokyo, we share the Meagratia collection film “Delicate erosion.”

Meagratia is a Japanese brand, and Takafumi Sekine is the designer. What do we expect from Tokyo? Creativity, unconventional design, uniqueness.

On a side note, we still divide collections into seasons for pure convention. In other words, it’s just to give a sense of order. However, we usually select meaningful pieces with a timeless aesthetic. Good design and quality last forever. Also, we tend to pick many seasonless garments: pieces that, with a layering style, work almost throughout the year.

We love the Meagratia brand and find his work interesting for its subtle sense of style and meticulous detailing. Also, the designer’s passionate research of vintage pieces made modern through skilled design work represents a labour of love for fashion. Definitely not for the mass market; it’s for those who appreciate uniqueness.

Delicate erosion – Meagratia SS24 collection film


His unconventional, personal language emerges in his collection films, season after season. And so, we invite you to see “Delicate erosion” Meagratia SS24 collection film here:

As you can see, getting some inspiration from the Meagratia SS24 collection film, the colour palette is delicate but intense. Fabrics are textured or printed but easy to wear. And the design elements are so unique they beautifully stand out. Another great point is the genderless approach, which makes the collection contemporary and transversal. Indeed, all of these elements come together to create a sensory experience that evokes feelings of elegance, sophistication, and timeless beauty.

Meagratia’s designs are the perfect style choice #formodernhumans
Always keep in mind that you don’t need more; you need only the right pieces. Which means less but much better quality.

Get in touch with us wherever you are! We will show you only the most unique pieces worth buying.

Last reminder:
Worldwide shipping is available!
In order to provide unicity and a sustainable approach, our selection offers a limited number of pieces.

WhatsApp us directly from here!

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Secondhand And Fashion Resale

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Circularity or marketing trick?


Driven by the popularity of secondhand, the fashion resale market is growing strongly, not only for luxury brands but mass-market brands, too.

“The explosion of cheap, mass-market brands over the last two decades has meant the secondhand market is now awash with polyester party dresses and synthetic sweaters.” via Business Of Fashion.

As a matter of fact, “I’m searching for a little something” – is still the NR 1 customers’ request. In other words, it means a low-priced, easy-to-purchase, easy-to-get-rid-of piece of clothing. Though we don’t sell that product, we often hear that request. That’s what people want! Sadly, the attractive price for clothes is now a burden we all pay. In fact, clothes end up in landfills, where trillions of “little things” are towering, polluting lands and seas. So, you may wonder, was it really so convenient?

Since our wardrobes are packed with clothing, reselling is a way to clean them out. Of course, donating, too, helps.

Secondhand and fashion resale: pros and cons


From the perspective of circularity, reselling represents a valuable opportunity. First, it prevents clothes from ending up in the garbage bin, giving them a longer life. Second, it makes luxury brands accessible.

But, in the case of fast fashion, there’s a big issue with reselling: mass-market brands use circularity to greenwash. Indeed, the fact that fast-fashion brands push people to resell their clothing is a marketing trick. They do it to sell more fast-fashion items. Reselling fast fashion to purchase more fast fashion is pure madness. Instead of limiting the problem, brands make it bigger by feeding the system.

Secondhand and fashion resale make sense for quality products, as clothing made to last deserves a second life, though brands should control production anyway. But it is dangerous with fast fashion. In fact, we’d better avoid producing new garbage at all, which would be the ultimate solution to fashion waste.

How do you make a positive impact? Don’t buy fast fashion. Buy less, far much less, buy better!

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